POL brings fuel to the fight

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class John D. Partlow
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  Yokota is the only airlift hub in the Western Pacific and with that comes the responsibility to support a large area of the world with aircraft operations.

Airmen of the 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron Petroleum, Oils and Lubricants shop handle all of the fuel needed to operate such a significant mission.

"Everything uses fuel to move," said Senior Master Sgt. Eugene Elking, 374 LRS POL Fuels Management Flight chief. "Without it, nothing on this base is moving, and we are here to make sure that doesn't happen."

POL is responsible for refueling various types of aircraft on the flightline and maintaining bulk storage of millions of gallons of fuel. From fueling air conditioning units in government housing to testing excess particles in usable fuel, POL personnel handle all fuel-related projects on base.

When it comes to refueling aircraft, POL works with other agencies on base to complete the mission. Once the request for aircraft fuel comes in, it goes through the 730th Air Mobility Squadron's Maintenance Operations Center. The MOC then contacts the command section of the POL shop, where they handle the purchasing, ordering, supplying and transporting of the resources.

"We have the opportunity to see the project from start to finish," said Staff Sgt. Apasara Takara, 374 LRS POL fuel service center controller. "Through certain programming, we can watch fuel levels in real-time all around base."

Not only does POL fuel the base, they also test the fuel to meet Air Force safety standards.
"We pour the fuel through a filter and weigh each particle," said Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Palmer, 374 LRS POL fuels laboratory NCO in charge. "It lets us know exactly what is in the fuel we use."

Yokota's POL shop also has a powerful weapon on its side: FORCE, the largest mobile fueling station in the Pacific Air Forces.

"Our Fuels Operational Readiness Capability Equipment can move up to a million pounds of fuel a day," said Elking. "If an emergency should arise, it would be quite useful to have that on our side."

In March 2011, FORCE was a utilized tool when the 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit the northern coast of Japan, he continued.

Keeping the base moving may seem overwhelming, but POL Airmen are sure that they are up to the task.

"We love working in fuels, and I think that shows through the work we do," Elking said. "I have confidence that no matter the challenge, we can overcome it."